45th Anniversary Celebration Banquet May 3, 2019 - L’Auberge Casino Conference Center
Baton Rouge, LA
Join us for the 45th Anniversary Celebration Banquet, May 3, 2019 at the L’Auberge Casino Conference Center in Baton Rouge.
If you are interested in sponsoring the 45th Anniversary Celebration Banquet, please use the buttons on this page to download the Sponsorship Form or register online.
Sponsors must register by April 1, 2019 to be included in the program book!
About Our Keynote Speaker, First Lady Donna Edwards
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Peace begins with a smile." Those words from Mother Teresa are words to live by for Donna Hutto Edwards.
Family, faith and helping others are the core values she uses to guide her life.
Donna is excited to use her platform as First Lady of Louisiana to make a difference for kids, families and educators, raise awareness about important issues and connect communities with needed resources and support.
With a degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi, Donna has led a successful career in business. But it was her passion to help children learn and grow that led her to become a certified teacher. She taught music education for more than eight years in the Amite public school system. Having worked in the classroom, she knows the challenges first-hand and is a dedicated advocate for both students and teachers.
As first lady, Donna has created the Louisiana First Foundation, which has a three-fold focus: developing programs that center around educating the “whole child” through Teach MAM (Music, Art and Movement), fighting against human trafficking and building a supportive network to help foster children and parents with government, non-profits, businesses and faith based organizations through Louisiana Fosters.
She has also started Virtual Visits with the First Lady, which enables her to interact with students in every corner of the state, No Kid Hungry Louisiana Campaign and Breakfast Challenge to help end childhood hunger in Louisiana and Bandit’s Book Challenge to encourage students to read.
Still, there’s more. Donna has also made it her mission to restore and preserve the history and beauty of the Governor’s Mansion - making it a place the unique and resilient people of Louisiana are proud to call their own.
Serving as first lady is an honor and an incredible experience, but without a doubt, her happiest job is being a wife and mother of her and John Bel’s three children – Samantha and son-in-law Jonathan, Sarah Ellen and John Miller. The family lives in Baton Rouge with their three dogs, Mollie, Bandit and Lady.
